May 1, 2013
MANASSAS, VIRGINIA USA – Things are getting back to normal at the ISSA World Headquarters after a hectic week of senior softball events.  After spending three days at the National Association of Sports Commissioners Sports Event Symposium at Louisville, KY talking to dozens of communities about bringing an ISSA Senior Softball Tournament to their area, Staff had to split up and RB Thomas, Jr. flew to Greenville, SC on Thursday to hold the ISSA Greenville National Invitational Tournament.  Greg Thomas flew back to Manassas on Thursday evening after the conclusion of the Symposium to hold the Officer Pennington Memorial Tournament on Saturday and Sunday which also included a Senior Division.  The ISSA Staff will now focus on the next three events which will take place in the month of June.  All senior teams planning to play in one or more of the June ISSA tournaments should submit their online Entry Form now for each that they wish to enter (Entry Fees can then be mailed to the ISSA Office at 9114 I-Beam Lane, Manassas, VA 20110 to finalize the entry.)  Team managers can simply click on the tournament listed on the website home page and get the necessary information for each event ….. www.seniorsoftball.org.
JUNE 1 & 2 – DRIFTON, PENNSYLVANIA – The 3rd Annual ISSA Penn Senior Classic will be held at the Jake Kislan Softball Complex at Drifton again this year.  Drifton is a small community with an excellent softball complex now owned by PA-ASA and is located in northeastern PA near Hazelton and north of Harrisburg.   The tournament will be a Saturday and Sunday event, June 1 and 2.
Senior teams planning on playing at Drifton should submit the Online Entry Form at this time.  Team Managers should report to the Tournament Director one hour before their first scheduled preliminary game to get their information packet.  As with all ISSA senior tournaments, the game schedules will be posted on the ISSA Web site after the entries are closed.  Berths are awarded to some of the teams in each ISSA tournament for the ISF/ISSA World Tournament of Champions which will be held on the last weekend of January 2014 at Tampa, Florida.
JUNE 7, 8 & 9 – MARYVILLE, TENNESSEE – The 2nd Annual Great Smoky Mountain Senior Classic will be a three-day event.  Teams will begin preliminary play on Friday and starting times will be subject to the number and class of the entered teams.  It is the ISSA policy to generally begin the older divisions first with the 50s playing the latest scheduled games.   The “Smoky” has been a favorite softball tournament for over 40 years, now senior teams get to continue the tradition and play for senior softball’s bragging rights.  A tournament championship at Maryville is a significant milestone to have on a player resume.  Major teams have already entered in the 50+,  55+ and 60+ divisions.  Simply put, the Smoky is a “must play” event for many legends of the game.
JUNE 21, 22 & 23 – SALEM, VIRGINIA –  The 12th ISF Senior World Cup will be played on softball fields throughout the Roanoke Valley on June 21-23, Friday Saturday and Sunday.
The World Cup is one of the most prestigious events in all of softball and draws National and International teams to challenge for the division championships.  This tournament is sanctioned by the International Softball Federation, the Worldwide Governing Body for the sport and ran by the experienced ISSA staff in coordination with the local organizers in the Roanoke Valley jurisdictions who are second to none when it comes to providing the services that make a tournament a World-Class event. Last year the entries for this tournament approached the field capacity for a single weekend event, so senior teams are urged to submit their Online Entry Form now so we can better plan for this high quality World Championship.  Teams that participated in all three tournaments on the Carolina Trail Series should submit their Online Entry Form for the World Cup at this time if they play to play and receive the discounted entry fee.
FROM THE DESK OF RB THOMAS, JR., ISSA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – Team managers are reminded to use the Online Team Registration (at no cost) to get their ISSA Team Rating and enter any of the ISSA tournaments on the ISSA Schedule posted on the Web site.  Also, whenever there is any change in a team’s status or contact information the team should submit a new registration online.  Teams that plan to play in any of the ISSA senior tournaments in 2013 should submit the Tournament Entry Form for each event.  (Entry fees have to be mailed later to the ISSA Office, 9114 I-Beam Lane, Manassas, VA 20110 in advance of the specific tournament per the Factsheet.)  Players that participate in ISSA tournaments are NOT required to purchase an ID Card from ISSA.  The ISSA allows players to present their drivers license for proof of age and residency.
The ISSA staff would like to encourage all the senior players and their fans to become a Fan of the ISSA – Senior Softball page on Facebook (and comment on the postings). The ISSA will post photos and information from ISSA events to highlight senior softball participants and happenings throughout the season.  So LIKE our senior softball page as it is one way for us to communicate with all those interested in the sport.  The ISSA FB page is ISSA –  SENIOR SOFTBALL and has a number of photos from recent ISSA tournaments as well as some from the past.  If you have friends and/or family members using Facebook you might want to suggest that they LIKE the ISSA page, maybe the ISSA will be posting your photo from the next tournament.  Additionally, all senior players should subscribe to the ISSA e-newsletter to get up-to-date information about senior softball and ISSA events (subscription box is on the ISSA Web site home page at www.seniorsoftball.org).  Current subscribers should encourage other members of their “team” to also subscribe in the unlikely event where your email gets lost in cyber space.
The ISSA Carolina Trail Series concluded this past weekend with the ISSA Greenville NIT in western South Carolina.  The event at Greenville was their first senior tournament so many of the players were visiting the area for the first time were pleasently surprised with the amenities available.  The restored Main Street area downtown was a “must visit” destination for the players.  The charming shops, outstanding eateries, entertainment and ambiance of  the beautiful tree lined streets will make Greenville a great senior softball destination.  The only thing missing this year was a little more sunshine and a few more senior teams.  As with all ISSA senior tournaments, the Photo Album for the Greenville NIT is now posted on the Web site.  Participants at any ISSA tournament aree encouraged to submit their photos to the ISSA Office for possible inclusion in the tournament album.
Source: ISSA / SODA Affiliate Group